Scheelite, Powellite, and other misc. non-fluorescent minerals - Pine Creek Mine, Scheelite, California
Contributed by: Chris Clemens
Date: Apr 30th, 2026
Locality: Pine Creek Mine, Scheelite, Bishop Mining District (Tungsten Hills Mining District), Inyo County, California, USA (See on Mindat)
Size: 75 x 63 x 75 mm
Weight: 616 g
Description:
Under normal daylight, this is an unimpressive looking mottled rock containing grey, black, white, and reddish/brown minerals, from the Pine Creek Mine in the town of Scheelite, near Bishop, Inyo County, California. It is a typical-looking ore specimen, containing scheelite, powellite, grossular garnet, chalcopyrite, and pyroxene. Under shortwave UV however, the scheelite comes alive with bright white and blue/white fluorescence, with some regions of powellite showing a more yellowish response. Similar fluorescence is seen under midwave UV, but the color is more uniform off-white. This specimen is from the collection of noted Dutch mineralogist Renaud Vochten.
The Pine Creek Mine dates back to 1918 and is a former W-Mo-Cu-Au-Ag-Bi mine located at an altitude of 11,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, about 21 miles northwest of the town of Bishop.
Originally posted by Chris Clemens on Nature's Rainbows in 2017.
Summary of luminescence responses:
Scheelite (Mindat) (RRUFF)
- Fluorescence under Shortwave (254nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Yellow
- Fluorescence under Shortwave (255nm LED) UV light: Blue
- Fluorescence under Midwave (305nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Yellow